Tag Archives: capsule

I met C/FAN designer Christina Fan at (capsule) in NYC a few weekends back and fell in love with her gorgeous fabrics and patterns. Christina launched the Chicago based C/FAN in 2008, which began as a small collection of outerwear and essential T’s. Fan has since developed her line to include tailored separates and flowy shirts and gowns. Using luxurious fabrics and tailoring them into flattering silhouettes, Fan creates pieces for the woman who wants to look sophisticated and feminine without looking overtly girly. And the prints are anything but predictable. The S/S 2011 collection focused on a photograph of a December morning in Caddo Lake printed on washed silks, sheer chiffons, and silk jerseys (head over to The Shiny Squirrel for a closer look). The print looks just as stunning on a fitted one-should dress as it does on a ethereal and flowy tunic. For her A/W 2011 collection, Fan created a beautiful palette of greys, browns, and purples in luxurious silks, furs, and cashmere/wool blends. The pieces are earthy and warm for the colder months but maintain that demure touch that C/FAN has come to be known for. I couldn’t stop stroking the pieces at her booth at (capsule) and can only imagine what it would feel like to wear her pieces all day. I tend to end up wearing layers of bulky wools in New England during the colder months, but I look forward to adding a bit of elegance to my wardrobe via C/FAN this coming fall and winter. Silk is actually an incredibly warm fabric and will feel heavenly against your skin, summer or winter.

One of my favorite designers this past year has been Billy Reid, for men and for women. My love for the latter was reinforced when I saw the Fall/Winter 2011 collection at (capsule) women’s trade show this past Monday. Reid has successfully created a women’s line that is genuinely inspired by menswear withouth just imitating it. Adopting a menswear silhouette and refining it for the female form without losing the tailoring of menswear is harder than it sounds (and many designers fail at it). But Reid has really excelled at this with his women’s F/W ’11 collection by incorporating feminine details and perfecting fit. Billy Reid’s New York store director Spencer Singer was very kind and let me take some pictures while we chatted about fishing and shark jaws (my business card with my jaw illustration sparked the conversation). Singer selected a few stand out pieces that he thought would be most appreciated by N’East Style readers and were my favorites. Of course no surprise there. If you live in New England, you can’t say no to a camel colored moleskin field jacket. I really fell in love with this piece because it reminds me of the jackets my grandfather used to wear. Usually down to the bone. The moleskin is amazingly soft and gorgeous and I’m sure it will age beautifully with wear. The button-front wool dress is tailored to perfection and I’ll bet money that it’s the dress that every woman will look amazing in come Fall. The maroon, navy, and cream printed silk lining is a Billy Reid original design to boot. I’m secretly hoping they make a blouse with this fabric as it’s stunning in person. Finally, as far as I’m concerned, every man and woman should own a navy peacoat. Especially one that is constructed well enough to last at least a decade. Reid has designed one with a more slim and elegant cut that will be more flattering for women than the average peacoat. I especially love the leather detail at the back collar. Not pictured is the trench coat which is predicted as the real best seller of the season. To see photos, check out We Are The Market’s coverage here. And while you’re there check out their Q & A with Singer. I’m really looking forward to stopping by the Billy Reid store on Bond Street in New York when this collections hits. I think I’ll have to try everything on!

I’m a real sucker for a good topper so I was instantly drawn to the booth at (capsule) filled with gorgeous hats. Miliner Albertus Q. Swanepoel was incredibly kind and spoke with me about his extensive experience in fashion and in millinery. Born and raised in South Africa, Swanepoel began his career in fashion with a bang. In 1987 he received the Coty Award for best designer in the country for his Quartus Manna label based out of Johannesburg. After relocating to New York City he worked with well known milliners Janine Galimard, Lola, and Lynne Mackay, constructing hats for high fashion as well as major theatrical productions, operas, and ballets. In 2004 Swanepoel began collaborating with important New York designers (Marc Jacobs, Proenza Schouler, Diane von Furstenberg, Carolina Herrara, and Peter Som to name a few) for their runway shows during fashion week and has since become the “go to” milliner in the New York fashion world. His namesake label sells inventory to major retailers such as Barneys, Paul Smith, Odin, and Louis Boston and has received press in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, and The New York Times. It was a great opportunity to see his F/W 2011 collection in person at the women’s (capsule) trade show and to meet someone who has been in the industry for so long and is so passionate about his craft. Each piece is still designed and hand blocked by Swanepoel and feature delicate and unique details that will certainly turn heads when you wear yours down the street.

As a New Englander, I have nothing but love for a great New England company like Eastland. Family-owned and based in Freeport Maine, Eastland has been crafting shoes of the highest quality and utmost comfort since 1955. It’s refreshing to find a brand like this that values quality and their loyal customers more than keeping up with the trends. Eastland’s Made in Maine F/W 2011 collection shown at (capsule) in New York last weekend included some heritage styles from their archives and some subtly new silhouettes. These new styles manage to stay true to the traditional Eastland shoe construction and aesthetic while offering some unique details. Like a high top version of the ring boot made with a stacked sole or a chukka boat shoe with the woven lace around the collar. I have a feeling that these styles will be embraced by Eastland’s customers as well as introduce some new ones come fall.

18 Waits was one of the brands I was most looking forward to meeting at (capsule). Dan and Bill are seriously the kindest people and they ooze that certain simple man’s joie de vivre that their brand embodies so well. I first came across the Canadian brand when I saw their Native Son necklace and fell in love with it. At their booth I was able to look closely at other pieces of their jewelry collection and the knives, clips, and keychains from their antler accoutrements collection (all handmade by a 65 year old man named James who lives in KY, just one of the many personal touches of 18 Waits). Each piece has the look and feel of a rustic heirloom that could have been passed through generations before getting to you. My new favorite is the Talon necklace (shown in the last picture above). And it looks like we’ll be lucky to see another hat from their collaboration with Biltmore (one of Canada’s oldest hat manufacturers) come Fall 2011!